| On August 4, 2019, King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia and their daughters Crown Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofía of Spain met with former Queen Sofia shortly after the annual 2019 summer photo session that took place at Marivent Palace. Then, the Royal family altogether ate dinner at "Ola del Mar" Restaurant located at Portixol Harbour in Palma de Mallorca, which is known for its mediterranean cuisine. (Queen Letizia wore a floral midi dress by Adolfo Dominguez.) |
Adolfo Dominguez Floral Midi Dress
Mint & Rose Sardinia Suede Shoes
Il faut cesser ces manières de donner la main a des ados qui ont largement dépassé l'âge. c'est infantilisant !
ReplyDeleteFred, je suis absolument d'accord avec vous! Horrible...
DeleteLetizia et les enfants sont tres chic, "comme des vacances"...
Grand-mere Sofia exaggere. Letizia n'a pas l'air d'approver, pour une fois, je la comprends.
DeleteJ'y vois plutôt un geste d'affection...
DeleteThe kids are really, really well educated, still accepting holding hands with their Granny in front of the photographers and public. There is no other Queen doing this so "explicit" with her grandchildren... One can love the grandchildren, giving each other a hug, holding hands for a while, saying " I love you dearly", but I doubt that the girls are doing this with enthusiasm. (Yes, I know, this is not about fashion.)
DeleteI really do love the Letizia's dress. Classy Lady. Not even a professional model will wear it better than the Queen.
I find the handholding pushy and ridiculous. She doesn’t do it with her other granddaughters, and it’s obvious the girls feel uncomfortable. Everyone dressed nicely for the weather. I’m not a fan of Letizia in dresses that overwhelm her small frame. I like the torso part of the dress since she wears it well.
DeleteAnd how the old woman otherwise will get some spotlight when such a stunner Queen Letizia is nearby. You grab your grand daughters.
DeleteWhat a bad Public Relation campaign. And Queen Sofia will be blamed for holding hands with Leonor again..
ReplyDeleteShe's a grandmother. So what if she wants to hold her granddaughter's hand.
DeleteIt's obvious what's going on. Queen Sofia needs to stop grabbing Leonor and Sofia; she doesn't do that with Victoria and Irene. I know when to step back, but I'm not a queen who likes attention.
DeleteAgree 100%with Anon 6:45.
DeleteWhat's the problem ?? Queen Sofia is an over 80 years old grandmother!
DeleteQueen Margrethe and the late Prince Henrik did the same kind of 'handholding' with one of their grandchildren, when they were walking outside e.g. in Tivoli and Cayx.
- Carina,DK
Sofia, stop hiermee. Ga met uw zus op vakantie naar Griekenland. Het wordt nooit meer wat met uw schoondochter.
ReplyDeleteExactly.
DeleteRoyalty fan
DeleteHr. L.H.M. Peters, I totally agree, she should go to Greece, and visit her brother, and sister-in-law
I am a little surprised at the pictures of the Spanish royal family EVERY day.
ReplyDeleteI wish royal families all around the world would enjoy a pleasant summer vacation. I miss my favorite princess Haya.
Tired of seeing them. Same dresses!
ReplyDeleteI, too, miss Princess Haya, especially at Ascot. Was looking forward to her hats. Must be hot in SpIn, as their, the Spanish family, clothing looks cool.
DeleteRoyalty fan
DeleteAnon 3:39, and Dawnangel, didn't princess Haya, flee from her husband? And now her life is in danger
Anon @2:48, "blame" for what? Has anything happened where blame should be placed?
ReplyDeleteI believe that some people find her constant hand holding a little oppressive, I believe on human contact, and hugging and kissing is a huge part of our family dynamic, however I must say that a typical 13 year old doesn't need to be guided by the hand, unless you are about to cross the street or going up the stairs, for a brief moment. My children would have been mortified if I had insisted on leading them this way while we were out and about. I think the issue is that there are thousands of trolls alluding at Leonor's "maturity" and already creating theories about whether she is OK.....
I am just mentioning what I am reading, I personally don't think that Sofia's behavior is either wrong or unnatural, we are all different .
My 13 yr old boy wouldn't like it but my 13 yr old niece would gladly hold their grandma's hand. There comes a time when grandma needs a steady hand for balance. Everyone must also remember that this family is being stalked by photographers, i.e. strangers. If I were followed around by strangers, I might be holding my own daughter's hand. It seems to me all the adults are in a protective stance. The King & Queen are positioned on the ends as if they are the pillars protecting the family & Grandma is taking extra care with her grandchildren. Seems perfectly normal & loving to me.
DeleteSome grandmothers do that wirh their favourite granddaughter.
DeleteI was one of these and
it was some kind of creepy.
Queen Sofia may be criticized because I and others find her possessiveness of the children and the exclusion of their parents to be distressing to observe. In my opinion this behavior is not appropriate even in ordinary non-royal families. Queen S could ask for her son's or daughter-in-law's arm if she wants support instead of clutching on to the children when the cameras are out.
ReplyDeleteAnd here she goes again, grapping hands and arms of her granddaughters. Demonstrating closeness and affection. And she always makes sure, she is in the middle of the pictures, Sofia the only ever 'Real'Spanish Queen with her 'Queen-to-be' granddaughter. Who is Letitzia? Nothing but a commoner. Letizia is clever enough to step aside and let her have the show, but the side glances she shares with her husband show what they both think about it. Time to stop, Sofia.
ReplyDeleteAnd for those who say, there is nothing wrong with it, it is just loving affection shown by a grandmother. Of course, none of us was there, we don't know these people personally, but if something pops up in about each and every picture, you start to think, that it is done deliberately. And although we only have pictures, you can read in pictures like in a book. The body language, the facial expressions, the way, people stand together or apart in a group photo tells a lot about what is going on in a family.
Back to fashion: the dress Letizia is wearing is once again spot on. It fits her body perfectly. Either Letizia is lucky enough to fit in regular sizes of any brand. WHich most women don't. Or - that's what I think - she has a good seamstress who - as Letitzia does not have the biggest budget for clothing - makes a little effort to adjust, neckline, armholes and waist, sometimes length, to make this perfect look. This summer dress couldn't fit any better. Felipe though has shown that he can do better than these days. He looks very tired too. It is time to leave this family alone and let them have their well earned vacation.
I absolutely agree with you. We don't know the family dynamic, but former Queen Sofia's behavior is not right. I have always been part of a very close family and hugging and kissing are part of our routine. That being said, even my great aunt, who never had children and could be smothering at times, would never have treated any of her grand nieces or nephews as former Queen Sofia treats these two granddaughters. At this age they do not need to be guided across the street or on stairs (as someone else mentioned). She doesn't do it with her other grandchildren and I speak from experience when I say that Crown Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia will remember this. At 68 I still love my great aunt and now understand why she might have been smothering, but I do remember. Human contact, closeness, etc are one thing but her behavior is not good. Just my opinion. This is a beautiful family and, as you said, it's time for people to stop looking for the chance to see more interaction between Queen Letizia and the former Queen. Let them relax.
DeleteAs short as I am (4'10) I wish I had the Queen's seamstress (because I think she definitely has one)!
Well said Beth. Couldn't agree more. They say "Picture speaks a thousand words" and this is so true in this example. The tension between all of them is palpable. It's beyond me why they are insisting on these outings together and photo sessions.
Delete@ Beth, there is an other wording which says never believe a photo. We don't know what was happening behind the scenes. Is it Sofia who has taken the hand of Leonor or was it Leonor who wanted to hold hands with Sofia? We have seen several pictures of Leonor holding hands with her father as well. I think there is not only one truth in interpreting a photo.
DeleteFurthermore, in some parts of Europe like Spain, Italy and France we see a different culture of affection. Being demonstrative in public is seen as perfectly natural. People kiss and hug when they meet in the street. Friends walk around arm-in-arm or holding hands. Holding hands with friends, parents and grandparents is nothing out of ordinary. In other parts of Europe, like Germany people are much more formal. The rituals are very different within Europe.
Everything the Queen has worn so far is an example of how a little money to have your better pieces fitted to your shape makes a lot of difference. The colors chosen are pretty too.
DeletePoor Leonor. At the nautical club visit for instance she stands with the parents and looks like every other 12 to 14 year old. In the pictures with Grandma she shrinks into herself and gives the image of child of about 8 to 10 years old. Sofia the elder, even though the original Palma scene was about this very thing, continues to deliberately divide the girls from each other and from their mother. She does not trade glances with Letizia who looks on helplessly. It is as if she has been awarded the care of the girls. Letizia for her part walks on the right of Leonor with enough distance to be excluded from the pictures, and in the posada spends much of the time with her hands in her pockets or behind her back. In 2 of the pictures above the father seems to ensure that little Sofia takes her grandmother's arm.
In about 3 months Leonor will have to stand before hundreds of people to represent the award that bears her name. A summer of being grabbed and led around by grandma does not help her image at all.
Complete agreement with you regarding the hand grabbing. It looks forced and frankly, no one looks happy. The King looks mortified and I think Letizia has been absolved over last year’s “moment” at the church. I’m not a fan of Letizia’s, but these pictures capture how push and rude the former Queen’s behavior is. Definitely not a happy outing.
DeleteYou seem very comfortable to talk about what’s going on in these pictures
DeleteYou made a very good point. Leonor, who will be fourteeen in a few weeks will be overtaking more official duties in the coming years. It is time to support her growing indepence, to guide her in building confidence and her own personalitiy and not to infantilze her. She did her first public speech one year ago and she did remarkably well. She looks quite young for her age, she seems to be a bit shy and seems to have a sweet and kind personality. But she will grow into it. Her parents do a very good job in preparing her for her role. And they know their daughter best and know which kind of support she needs. Sofia should step back and let the King and Queen do their job.
DeleteMust agree with Southernbelle that King Felipe looks mortified -- and I'd even say rather fed up. As my mom would say, "his face is a thundercloud". (But what a good-looking thundercloud :-)
DeleteLovely family outing.Letizia's dress is great and well fitting do not care for the shoes.The two Pss look so different with this hairstyle,I love it, Like The short set of Sofia, not so much the jumpsuit of Leonor. Color wise Q Sofia matches wit Filippe, casual look.
ReplyDeleteI prefer to see afection, holding hands with grandma everyday instead to see pushing arms one to the other.
ReplyDeleteI can see if Sophia was walking down an incline and the girls were on both sides holding her arm to make sure she got down safely. But,this is beyond weird holding hands constantly.
ReplyDeleteLa reina Letizia va muy guapa. Me parece muy maduro de ella de dejarle ese momento a su suegra, sea que Sofia lo hace por afection a las niñas o por querer ser el centro de atencion. Bravo reina Letizia siga adelante !
ReplyDeleteThere are new photo's everyday, should they not be getting some privacy
ReplyDelete3 adolescentes y dos adultos!
ReplyDeleteBingo! No resisto la actitud de la que fue reina Sofia!
DeleteLeonor va de la mano de Felipe todo el tiempo en el posado.
ReplyDeletePor cierto, qué mal no cambiarse para la cena. En verano desde luego que nunca llevo la misma ropa del día para cenar fuera, y mucho menos los niños!
Con mucho respeto, su comentario es desagradable.
DeleteQue tiene de malo ? Solo por que querias ver otros vestidos para criticar mas ? Estan impecables todos y por cierto se ven felices
DeleteDesagaradable es ver la misma ropa.
DeletePor que criticar asi a unas niñas tan dulces.
ReplyDeleteQueen Sofia looks great;the grand daughters do like their granny.The family are enjoying their holiday.
ReplyDeleteBoof .... much ado about nothing. Nice to see the summer fashions and a grand mother caring for her grand children.
ReplyDeleteLetizia's dress is absolutely lovely -- cool, summery and feminine, and as others have noted, fits the wearer perfectly.
ReplyDeleteAnd since we're playing "guess what they're thinking" (which may be silly but is, I think, pretty harmless in this circumstance), it seems most likely to me that the family's body language is a very conscious, deliberate effort to counteract the impression created by the famous church incident of last year. I.e., Letizia is being conspicuously "hands-off" while allowing the elder Sofia to be conspicuously "hands-on". It certainly doesn't seem to have convinced anyone here, though. Sad for Leonor and young Sofia to be caught in the middle (literally and figuratively).
I sincerely do hope for the girls, that, next summer, they have not to hold hands for publicity anymore, if they don't want it... May they enjoy their summer days now.
ReplyDeleteMy goodness! I am stunned at the interpretations of these photos of a lovely family having a night out. I've looked at them again and again and the previous set from the market. I do not see Felipe looking mortified. And why would he. I do not see Letizia looking strained or angry. I also note that the younger Sofia takes her Gran's arm rather than holding hands as presumably she is more comfortable with that. The girls certainly don't look like angry, huffy teenagers (or almost teenagers) being forced into doing something they don't want to. As said above Leonor also holds her Dad's hand as she did at the photo call yesterday. I hope the family are given peace to enjoy their holiday without all these IMO rather bizarre interpretations of their actions.
ReplyDeleteOh, my! All the strong opinions! Seems like making a mountain out of a molehill. I'm sure they are intentional about their positions, hand holding,... but after all is said & done, those girls ate genuinely happy. The adult faces seem aware of the cameras & putting on a nice smiles but those adorable girls look completely sincere & happy. They always look natural & that they are comfortable & enjoy their family. After all the criticism of their family relationships last year, I dont blame them for some staging. For those who are getting so worked up about them, you might want to ask yourself why when we dont personally know them or have any business in their private lives. How about we just let them be & enjoy their holiday.
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